Our Girl Scootaloo 3 of 3
by Cozy Mark IV
Summary: Twenty years after her arrival on earth, the Mane Six have come to 'rescue' Scootaloo as they did Dashie... Her husband and two children might have something to say about this however... This 'rescue' is about to get complicated.
1. Ch 3-1 The Rescue Mission

**Our Girl Scootaloo**

Part 3 of 3

by Cozy Mark IV & Jan. McNeville

**Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-made work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro. Please support the official release**

Chapter Three point One: The 'Rescue' Mission

_With a sigh Twilight leaned back in her chair and stretched. "Well, that pretty much wraps up everything that happened before we got here."_

_Scootaloo finished the last page that was new to her and handed the computer back to Twilight with her prosthetic right hand. "This is wonderful, you're every bit the author Celestia made you out to be."_

_"I'm glad you like it, and a little surprised too. I still can't believe you wanted me to include all those... details... about David and yourself. Most couples back in Equestira generally don't reveal that much about their married life."_

_Scootaloo just smirked. "Really? I would have though after that prank Pinkie and Rainbow pulled on you, you would have learned that what people imagine is always much worse than reality. The truth you've been writing is positively boring compared to what some of the stories the tabloids have run about my husband and I."_

_Twilight blushed at that. "Well, yes, you do have a point."_

_"So why did you call me here late at night like this? We've been meeting three and four times a week to talk shop and work on this. What did you need so urgently it couldn't wait for morning?"_

_Twilight's uneasy expression returned and she found herself scratching the back of her head with a hoof. "Well... It's about the next section. Everything we've written up till now has been very much the unvarnished truth. I understand why you don't want to sugar coat anything but... so far this has been pretty tame."_

_"Excuse me?" Scootaloo asked indignantly. "Tame?" _

_Twilight looked embarrassed, but didn't back off the topic. "Okay, maybe not tame, but... you led a pretty good life. I... I don't know if I feel comfortable writing what comes next in that same voice."_

_"Oh, come on Twi, so things didn't get off to the best start. You came here expecting a repeat of what happened with Dashie at best, or to have to rescue me from a laboratory at worst. You didn't know I had already made a life for myself, earned a doctorate of medicine, married and had two foals... But we both know nopony got hurt and we're all still here today to write this."_

_"Well, that's true..." She conceded, "But after what happened to poor Fluttershy? Do you really want to put that all on the page just as it happened? She still has nightmares about those first few days..."_

_"Twilight..." Scootaloo answered in surprise, and then her face fell as she realized. "She hasn't told you, has she?"_

_"Told me what?" Twilight asked with a concerned look._

_Scootaloo grimaced and didn't answer immediately._

_"What? What didn't Fluttershy tell me?"_

_"It's... It's not my place to say. But you'll find out when you do the interviews for this section. Suffice it to say that Fluttershy asked that her part in this be included exactly as it happened."_

_"But!... She asked for that? After everything that happened to her and Applejack, she asked to have it included?!"_

_Scootaloo actually cringed as Twilight said this, then looked her in the eye and nodded._

_"Haven't you noticed the locket she carries with her now?"_

_Twilight paused a moment to think. "Her little gold one? What about it?"_

_"It's... Very important to her. I... She'll explain it in her own time."_

_Twilight shook her head to try to clear this strange line of questioning. "Well, even if she does want her part in this included, you have to concede that you can't just write in exactly what happened! This book is supposed to be something teenagers can read! You're going to lose readers if you don't candy coat this."_

_"Twilight, you're making it sound like someone raped her! We both know no one touched any of you. Hell, no one even did anything malicious! Almost everyone you met had nothing but good will towards you guys."_

_" But..." Twilight stopped and took a moment to calm herself. A deep breath. Two._

_"I know this isn't easy for you, Twi, and I can help when you need it, but even you have to admit things could have gone so much worse. It was pure dumb luck that Celestia even survived that first night, especially given that Dashie and Rainbow were too broken up to tell her what high voltage power lines look like." She shuddered at the memory. "Why don't you just start with the basics? That time in the three worlds flows at the same pace, so while it had only been three weeks since the accident that took Rainbow and I from Equestria in 2033, Rainbow had been blasted fifteen years into the past on her world, and I was shot back twenty years here."_

_The change of topic seemed to be helping, and Twilight sat up with a puzzled look. "Doesn't everypony already know that?"_

_"Not everyone: From your perspective it had been three weeks, from Rainbow's it had been fifteen years and I experienced twenty years between my arrival in 2013 your 'rescue mission' in 2033. Time travel can be confusing enough even with a full explanation."_

_"Well, I could get into the theory of how that worked; some of the equations are complicated enough they don't fit on a single sheet of paper!" Twilight answered, her eyes taking on a certain gleam. "I'm only beginning to understand what the scientists figured out, but I bet if explain it carefully-"_

_Scootaloo put her hand gently over Twilights mouth and shook her head slowly, trying to hide her mirth. "Please don't. You know what? Let me write that part. Why don't you start with what you know best; your departure from Canterlot Castle in Equestria?"_

_"Hmf. Talk about an inauspicious beginning. We expected to show up at your front door, just like we did with Dashie. The Princess set the spell to take us to 'Scootaloo's location', and the spell did the best it could."_

_"Yeah, but you didn't know about the twins, and it probably didn't help that I was doing two hundred miles an hour in the medevac helicopter at the time…" Scootaloo added rubbing the back of her head with her prosthetic hand._

_"You think?! The spell scattered the seven of us in a line from the center of the city out into the boonies! The trip was less than a minute old, and we were already in trouble, some of us more than others…" _

...

"Remember girls, we don't know what we will find once we arrive. We could come through in a laboratory, or worse..."

All the assembled ponies shared a look of grim determination and nodded. It had been almost three weeks now since the accident that sent Rainbow Dash to a different world, and a week since they had returned. They had all needed a few days to recover after that ordeal, and Rainbow was still learning to live with two personalities in one body after Twilight had re-loaded her memories. Dashie and Rainbow usually spoke as one pony now, but they still had arguments from time to time, especially when Rainbow had to explain some quirk of Equestrian society to Dashie who wouldn't know, having grown up on earth.

But now the Princess had found the right world, and homed in on where Scootaloo was, or had been. They were as ready as they could be. Though they had kept their grim suspicions to themselves, it was still obvious to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom that something was very wrong as they watched with worried expressions from the edge of the room.

"Please bring our friend back, Applejack!"

"And take care of yourself big Sister!" Sniff, "You come right back okay?!"

The assembled ponies nodded, took a deep breath, and a bright white light began to glow around them. With a yellow flash Fluttershy was the first to go, followed moments later by Applejack in a flash of orange, then Rarity, then Rainbow Dash followed by Pinkie Pie and Twilight. With a final glance at the foals, Celestia flashed white and was gone.

...

Light shone from the windows of sorority house as the sisters got ready for some time off from school and a night on the town.

"Okay girls, are you ready?" shouted a redhead who seemed to be in charge.

"Oh, hells yes!"

"Lets go already, these heels are killing me!"

"I done _told_ you they're too high! You're gonna break an ankle girl!"

"Oh cool it, you ain't my mother."

"You got that right," another voice chimed in "so don't go crying to her for help when your ankles give out in a couple of hours."

"All right! I'll bring a sneakers in my purse, sheesh!"

As the chorus of rowdy voices gathered by the door they were interrupted by a flash of blinding purple light coming from the den. For the first time in hours, the house knew silence.

It was short lived.

"What the hell was that?!"

"I don't know, did you leave the TV on again?"

"Scootaloo?" A new voice called.

The group exchanged confused looks, then went to investigate. As they filled the den, Twighlight stood her ground in the center of the small room.

"Hello, my friends and I are looking for Scootaloo. She should be here."

The girls looked around the room occupied by the purple pony. "Uh, what friends?"

Twilight looked around and noticed for the first time she was the only pony in the room. Panic flashed across her features, but she seemed to get control of herself and pressed ahead. "I came here looking for an orange and purple pony called Scootaloo. I should have arrived very close to her. Are you her caretakers?"

"Caretakers? You mean like parents?"

"Sister, this is a college town, and I got enough trouble taking care of the girls under this roof." One of the resident assistants chimed in: "You think I have time to care for children?"

Twilight seemed to sag at that; "You mean you've never seen another pony like me?"

A pounding of footsteps coming down the stairs behind her announced the arrival of another sister; "Hey guys, I finally found that other shoe, are you still here..." She surveyed the den for a moment, then asked flatly. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Caught off guard, again, Twilight turned and raised an eyebrow, "Uh, hello?"

Comprehension seemed to dawn on the new girl, followed quickly by a huge smile. "Oh my God, you're really real aren't you! You came to find Scootaloo!"

"You know Scootaloo?!"

"Of course! Well, by reputation at least. I'm Joyce, and these are my sisters."

Twilight counted at least thirty girls at a glance and looked confused again. "_All_ of them?"

"... Oh! Sorry, no, think sisters as in roommates that go to college together."

One of the group spoke up "Joyce, _what is going on_?"

Joyce sighed in exasperation. "Jeez, didn't you guys take any bio or engineering classes? This is another pony, you know, same species as Scootaloo? Goes to school here, bright orange coat?"

Rachel from the engineering school got the reference "Oh that Scootaloo! We're going to study her Electro Magnetic Field Repultion drive next semester in one of my aerospace and electrical classes!"

"Scootaloo is alive? She's okay?" Twilight asked and got two nods in reply, "Oh thank

Celestia, I was so worried! Where is she?"

"I would guess she's on duty tonight, she's working on her residency, and usually pulls a shift with the paramedics after school."

"The what medics?"

"She's training to be a doctor, and she's working with the paramedics to help pay for school. That could have been her in the helicopter that flew over a few minutes ago."

Rachel had produced a tablet computer and pulled up a documentary on Scootaloo. As the introduction played she showed it to Twilight. "Yeah, she was found, like, 20 years ago and she's a hero to a lot of people. Still makes the news from time to time, I can't believe I didn't recognize you. It's Twilight isn't it?" She asked extending a hand.

Twilight shook the offered hand. "Why yes, I... Wait, I didn't tell you my name. Does that mean Scootaloo remembered me" she asked hopefully?

"Huh? No, Scootaloo arrived here as a baby, she didn't remember anything." Joyce replied.

"Then how did...?" She asked looking confused.

"Oh, from the TV show, lots of people know your name."

The 'My Little Pony' theme song played from the tablet as it was again presented to her. Twilight stared wide eyed as the episode jumped forward depicting her and her friends. "Dashie told me, but I didn't really believe her..."

"We call it dimensional bleed through – some of us dreamed about you in enough detail to produce this. We don't really understand how it works yet, but now that you're here we can finally check the accuracy and figure it out!"

Twilight was looking increasingly overwhelmed when their second RA stepped in; "Not tonight she won't."

All three science geeks of both species looked at her. "We won't?"

"Nope. Twilight, your friend is safe and well, we can help you catch up with her tomorrow, but tonight..." She turned to the assembled group "Tonight, Twilight is our guest of honor, so let's take her out for a night on the town!"

"That's more like it!"

"WOOO!"

Twilight soon found herself walking into town with Rachel, Joyce and the rest of the girls as she tried to deal with the strangeness of this world full of monkeys. The first thing she noticed as they went out the door was the cluster of blindingly bright starts scattered across the night sky. Rachel confirmed that it was indeed night, but the city was still as light as a dark cloudy day despite the sun having already set! As she watched, the tiny points of blinding light slowly moved across the sky.

"What in the world are those? She asked one of the sisters.

"Oh, that's right, you don't have Sunbeam. They're just big foil reflectors that light up the city at night. Saves a fortune on street lights and junk." She finished in a disinterested tone.

Shaking off the strangeness of all this, Twilight attempted to beg off several times, but Joyce pointed out that even if she did snub them and leave, Scootaloo was on the job and probably wouldn't be done until late at night. Deprived of a good reason, and too polite to turn down an invitation, Twilight was soon waiting in line for a club across from what looked like a movie theater.

"You have movies here?"

"Yeah, for about 100 years now. That one's an art house theater that plays cult classics and old movies they can show cheaply."

"Is that what that flat thing was? Some kind of movie in a box?"

"Um, not quite... Do you know what a computer is? A calculating machine that can do many different jobs based on what software you feed it?"

Before she could respond, a bright pink pony came bounding out the doors of the theater, looked frantically around and found a trash can into which she became violently ill.

"Pinkie Pie!" Rachel and Twilight exclaimed.

They ducked around traffic and were both at her side in moments. "Pinkie, what's wrong?"

Pinkie shakily pulled her head from the can and saw her friend. "Twilight! Oh I'm so glad I found you!" She still looked a little shaky as she seemed to be fighting back nausea.

Twilight and Rachel exchanged worried glances. "Pinkie, are you okay? What _happened_ to you?"

"I don't know, when I got here I was in a dark closet full of mops and stuff and all of you were gone! I peeked out the door and they were showing a scary movie, like a campfire story but a movie, and I didn't want to get caught, so I watched and waited for the movie to be over so I could sneak out and... and..." She suddenly grabbed Twilight's shoulders and looked her square in the face. "Twilight, what did you have for lunch?!"

A moment ago she would have sworn she couldn't be any more confused. "What? Uh.. I had some grain and garlic with a side of chick peas and beans, why?"

Pinkies face turned green and she returned to filling the trash can.

Twilight was rapidly becoming worried. "What in the world is the matter with her?" She asked Rachel.

For her part, Rachel had taken a moment to read the movie listings, and was staring fixedly at an entry half way down the board with a mortified look on her face. Not hearing a response, Twilight looked up and followed her gaze. "What's a 'human centipede'?"

Rachel was looking almost white as she turned back to the pair. "You don't want to know. Really. Lets just say it's a work of pure fiction and... leave it at that."

Not at all satisfied, Twilight pressed the issue "You're saying a movie did this to Pinkie? What in Equestria was it about?"

"Look, just trust me okay? You don't want to know. There are some stories so revolting that just hearing the concept will cause... well that." She gestured to Pinkie who was resting her head on the trash can and panting.

"You seriously expect me to believe there is a concept so disgusting, so vile, that just seeing a few moments of it will cause..." She looked at Pinkie, then back to Rachel and Joyce who had joined them.

"Yes, some information is really that nasty." Rachel replied as she tried to explain the concept. "I'm sure you know people... ponies... that do things you don't enjoy, eat food you wouldn't eat right? Well there are some people who watch movies the rest of us don't like."

Twilight squinted suspiciously at the two girls while Joyce fiddled with her tablet. "Why should I believe you?"

Joyce motioned her over to a corner out of view and propped her tablet against the wall. "If you don't believe us, if you really want to know, this is the... short version. Now I'm warning you, you really, really don't want to see this, but if you think you know better, press the screen here and video will play."

Twilight looked suspiciously from Rachel to Joyce, then back to the video. "Two girls one cup?"

…

The girls each held one of the ponies heads until they were done.

"Oh, Celestia, _why_ does that exist?" Twilight moaned.

"I told you not to watch." Joyce chastised "But someone thought all knowledge was good and useful for something."

"Knowledge yes, but that!" She still looked a bit green.

Joyce put a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you both join us in the club, they have... drinks that will help you both forget all this."

Both ponies nodded weakly and the group of four walked across the street to the bar.

**Author's Note:**

Most of this story will be cheerful enough, but humanity is not all sunshine and rainbows and we don't always change our behavior just because somepony is visiting. There is no gore tag on this story because it doesn't need one, but some readers may find chapter 3.3 in particular to be... upsetting.


	2. Ch 3-2 Wheat, Wings and White Walls

**Our Girl Scootaloo**

Part 3 of 3

by Cozy Mark IV & Jan. McNeville

**Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-made work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro. Please support the official release**

Chapter Three point Two: Wheat, Wings and White Walls

The rooftop of the building was old and worn, the industry that had built the structure long gone. The old warehouse had been converted to student housing years ago, but the landlord had let the place decay, and the flat rooftop was scattered with beer cans and broken furniture. The only person in sight was a middle aged man in scruffy clothes who had started the evening in a bar and was already pretty drunk. He was startled out of a doze by a bright flash of rainbow light coming from behind the broken lawn chair he had fallen asleep in.

Rainbow and Dashie had spent most of the last week looking forward to and dreading this moment. As the flash faded, she opened her eyes and took in the run down roof top, the litter, the decay. She was worried that she seemed to be alone on the rooftop, but memories of her childhood, 'second childhood' she corrected herself welled up un-bidden, and though she tried to fight it and focus on the task at hand, she soon sat down, sobbing quietly into her hooves.

A voice from behind her brought her back to the present with a jolt. "Awww, don't be sad blue fluffy squirrel. Its a bewtiful night, and I have enough for bofth of us." The man said presenting a green bottle with a silver fairy on it.

Rainbow spun around, looked the man over and sighed 'a little too much like home'. Drying her eyes she decided to ask the question anyway, 'not that this person would know, he's so drunk he isn't even fazed by _me_'.

"My friends and... I'm looking for a friend of mine; an orange and purple pegasus like me. Have you seen her?"

The man looked puzzled and swayed a bit as he thought. "You mean the doc? Yeah, she was the one as pumped my stomach that time I lost the drinkin contest. That dumb fool as drove us home was drunk and wrecked the car. She came sailing down for the sky all orange an purple, an black. Helped us all outa that wreck. When I got better I shook her hand and thanked her fer helpin us."

Rainbow sighed again. "I'm sorry, the friend I'm looking for has hooves. Thank you anyway."

As she turned around the drunk spoke again "Oh, she had hooves too, four of em. And two normal hands, and that long ten... tentacle she used to pump my stomic."

Rainbow turned back, very confused now. "How could a doctor have hooves? Damn, you're just drunk."

He seemed to think this over. "Maybe a little." He swayed as a sound caught his attention, and he turned to point at a helicopter approaching from the direction of the hospital. "I bet that's her now, she always workss the night shift."

Rainbow looked at the medevac helicopter as it roared past, half of her wondering what it was, while the other half said 'shut up, it's just a helicopter.' Distracting as these internal discussions were, she still managed a glimpse through the side window, and clearly made out the flank of a pony pressed against the it. An orange pony.

'He was right! She's on the metal flying machine!'

'Helicopter!'

'Why is she on a helicopter?' 'How is she even out in public?!'

As the helicopter sped into the distance, the drunk said "I thought you was lookin' for her? Go git 'er, if those wings aren't just fer show. It's a good night for flyin' and drinkin'."

Shaking herself, Rainbow launched off the roof and took off after the helicopter wondering how drunk the man was; it was clearly daylight outside...

Tammy reclined in her chair and willed the clock to move faster. She was the last salesperson on duty at the small car dealership near the edge of town, and after a slow day with no sales she was ready to go home to her seven-year-old daughter and her husband. This was supposed to have been her girls' night out, but when two of her three friends canceled, it was hardly worth the trouble for only two people.

As she stared out the big glass wall that looked out on the front lot, she was startled out of a daydream by a bright flash of white light that seemed to come from a car three rows out.

"What the hell was that?"

She sat up and checked the security monitors expecting to see some kid with firecrackers, but as the static cleared, there was some kind of white... goat? No, wrong shape, deer? To big to be a deer... Then the figure on the monitor looked around and she made out a face.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

…

As the light cleared Rarity looked around and found herself alone –no sign of Scootaloo or her friends. Instead of a house or a lab, she seemed to be on some sort of huge black road on a cloudy day, surrounded on all sides by... coaches? Rolling pods?

The clop of approaching hooves drew her attention, but the hoofsteps sounded wrong... too far apart. She realized too late that she heard only two feet, not four, but before she could think of a way to hide a human woman came into view.

'Its really unnerving how tall they are.' she thought as she swallowed hard and looked up at the approaching figure who was almost twice her height. 'But just look at the cut of her suit. That's not a laboratory or military outfit, that's a business suit if I've ever seen one. A bit dark blue for my tastes, but the skirt falls nicely, and...' Unconsciously her ears followed the clop of shoes, and her train of thought was derailed as she caught sight of the woman's black high heel shoes.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you, Rarity." Tammy said as she knelt down and extended a hand. "My name is Tammy; do I have the honor of being the first to welcome you?"

Rarity shook the offered hand in a daze. "Why, yes actually, you are the first, but... you know who I am?"

Tammy couldn't help but smile. "Well, yes. You are a minor celebrity here; there are millions of people who know your name."

"Millions?!" Rarity asked, fast losing her grip on the situation.

"Well, yes. I would guess you are here to find Scootaloo?"

She got a slack jawed nod in response.

"She is and safe and well. She lives in town and is working towards a medical degree. She'll be working tonight, but we can give her a call and should have no problem stopping in tomorrow morning."

Tammy had never been hugged by a pony before now, and was surprised at how strong Rarity was as she squeezed her. "Oh thank you! Thank you! I was so worried!"

"It's okay," She replied returning the hug "she has a loving family, a good husband and two adorable kids, er, foals."

This last was just too much and Rarity sat down hard on the bumper of a sedan that creaked in protest.

"Husband?.. _Foals_?!" She looked completely lost as she stared across the asphalt.

Tammy sat down and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, she has a good life."

Rarity still looked stunned as she asked: "How?"

"Well, it's been a long time. What is it now... almost two decades?"

"But... Rainbow..."

"...Oh, that's right! I forgot to ask, did something happen to Rainbow Dash in your world? We think whatever happened to bring Scootaloo here got Rainbow too, and her choice of landing spots wasn't nearly so fortunate. The last we saw of her, she was being given away by some homeless guy in Detroit! Is she okay? Did you find her?"

This was simply too much insanity to deal with in the span of five minutes. Rarity closed her eyes and breathed deep. Willing herself calm, she shook her head and recounted the events that lead to Rainbow's disappearance and her eventual recovery. By the time she was done both their faces were streaked with tears and smeared makeup.

"Oh my God, that poor man!"

"I know, but there was no choice, that world had nothing for her, and we couldn't bring her father back either. She had to come back; we needed her as much as she needed us."

Tammy passed her a handkerchief and they both dried their eyes while she worked through to the natural conclusion. "And now you've come for Scootaloo?"

"We thought so, but we never dreamed she would be so... fortunate. Honestly we thought she..." She swallowed hard, "we didn't think we would find her alive. If she did survive, we thought we would have to fight our way through guards to pull her out of some kind of evil laboratory. It's not an accident that we all made the trip, even poor Rainbow."

Tammy leaned back regarding Rarity with a disappointed look. "Oh Rarity, did you really think we could be so horrible to someone so loving? You must think we're monsters!"

Rarity looked up with a hard expression. "Both Dashie and Celestia have spoken of this. I am not entirely ignorant of your history."

Tammy sighed as she worked though her response, mentally saying a small pair of thanks for her daughter's taste in media.

"Nor I of yours.I know quite a bit about your history as well. Ruled by an immortal monarch who banished her own sister after a fight for power. A land peppered with mindless monsters, some of whom kill for fun."

"But that's not -"

"The cockatrice? The timber wolf?"

Rarity thought that over while Tammy went on listing entire empires devoted to slavery and suffering as well as other notable drawbacks to Equestria. "Now I ask you, is that a fair assessment of your home? And does it sound similar to what you heard about my world?"

Rarity's shoulders sagged and she sighed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't judge without knowing."

"It's okay. You'll be fine, just use good judgment and stay close to someone you can trust."

Rarity gave her a rueful smile. "And that would be you?"

Tammy smiled warmly back. "My seven year old daughter would tell you so." She looked at the makeup stains on her hands and chuckled. "I must look like a raccoon. Come on, we can clean up inside and I'll tell you all about what Scootaloo has been up to."

After some much needed time in the powder room, they sat out on the comfy furniture in the lobby while Tammy brought her new friend up to speed on events. After a while Rarity asked the question that was on her mind.

"I understand that Scootaloo is okay, but why do we have to wait until morning to see her?"

"Well, you don't. If you want, I can drive you right to her doorstep, but she won't be back until later tonight as she works the night shift, and at best your reunion would be late at night, with everyone tired. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have some things to think about before then don't you?"

An image of the cutie mark crusader she had know suddenly grown up and nurturing two little ones flashed though her mind. Rarity nodded slowly. "I do..."

"So why don't you take some time, learn the lay of the land, and show up well rested and aware of the basics."

She sighed deeply and nodded again. "I suppose I could use the time to think."

"Hey, don't be so serious. I have no plans to spend the entire night sitting here; if you'll let me, I'd like to show you around!"

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

"How about a girls' night out? We can hang out until my girlfriends get here, then head out for a night on the town!"

Rarity slowly smiled "Yes, I think I would like that."

While Tammy called her friends and made arrangements, Rarity took her advice to look around. She wandered through the side offices taking time to admire the style and flow of each. The entire dealership had a 90's glass and chrome look, with all the desks and fixtures following the same flowing lines as the cars they helped sell. Rarity took it all in, enjoying the somewhat alien style and thinking of what she could do with it upon her return. Ten minutes latter Tammy found her admiring a lamp and making sketches on a notebook she found on a table.

"Wow, that's a really good drawing." She commented looking over her shoulder. "Do you mind if I?" She asked, gesturing to the pen and paper hovering in a glowing aurora emanating from Rarity's horn.

It took a moment, but comprehension dawned, and she held the pad out for Tammy who put her hand into the glowing cloud. "It feels.. warm. And it tickles a little."

Rarity smiled warmly. "That's right, you don't have magic here do you?"

"No, not like this we don't. Scootaloo can't even grip with her hooves, she uses prosthetic arms and hands. I really do hope you decide to stay for a few days, there is so much you could teach us..."

Rarity looked away to hide a blush. After a moment, Tammy really looked at the drawing in front of her. "You're looking at the styling of this old furniture?"

"Well yes, I've never seen anything quite like it. I just _know_ I can use this as inspiration for a new collection: '_From Another World!_' Can't you just see it now?"

Tammy stifled a laugh. "No offense, but we have better stuff than this if you're looking for inspiration. Why don't we have a look at the vintage cars in the garage around back?"

"Rainbow mentioned something about a 'car'... it's some sort of carriage that pulls itself?"

Tammy's face took on a faraway look. "Oh, it can be much more than that. It can be a status symbol, a statement about who you are and what you believe in. Some cars can be works of art; rolling masterpieces that passersby crane their necks to see. The throaty roar of an older engine, the feeling of power as it launches and pushes you back in the seat, the wind blowing through your hair as you cruse the highway with the top down." Tammy licked her lips, and Rarity stood transfixed by the obvious passion in her description. "You've never driven before have you? Come on, the boss keeps a 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible back here with the rest of his collection, and I think it's time for a test drive!"

After Rarity laid eyes on the collection of vintage cars it took considerable effort to tear her away from them. The pair walked from classic to classic as they took turns admiring the lines, the look, the flow, and the style of each. After ten minutes of this Tammy couldn't wait any longer. "Okay, let's get going, we can come back and see the rest later."

"But just_ look_ at them! I haven't even seen them all yet! How can I just walk away from such_splendor_?"

Tammy opened the door of the 1957 Chevy and gestured for her to hop in, and though she flashed a pouty expression, she did take the offered seat. While Rarity admired the interior, Tammy jumped in the driver's seat, put the top down, and turned the key in the ignition.

"THRUUMMMMM!"

The car roared to life and Rarity's eyes widened as she stroked the door sill "Oohh ho ho!"

Tammy cycled the garage door and gave Rarity a somewhat wild look that was less than reassuring. "Strap in!"

Startled out of her artistic contemplation, Rarity's face registered shock. "Wha -What!?"

Tammy rolled her eyes and reached over to buckle the passenger seat belt, giving it an unnecessary tug before buckling her own. "Even in a classic like this, we have to wear seatbelts, aftermarket in this case."

Rarity stared down at the lone belt looking much relieved, and just a tad disappointed. "Oh... But why do we need -"

The answer came as Tammy put the car in reverse and roared out of the garage, throwing them both forward against the seat belts. "This isn't your mother's farm cart! Now let me show you what a car like this is for!"

They left the dealership behind in a squeal of whitewall tires as Rarity wondered if she really wanted to know.

The flash of brilliant orange light pulsed and was gone, leaving Applejack in a black wheat field. Looking around, she found she was alone, though she thought she could hear some sort of machine fading into the distance overhead.

"Well, nuts! Where the hay is everypony..."

As her eyes adapted to the darkness, she took a moment to survey her surroundings. It didn't take long. The wheat was taller than she was, even on two legs, and she could only make out a circle a few feet wide in the dim starlight.

With a sigh she picked a direction and started walking.

And walking.

Minutes dragged on, then turned into hours as she kept going wondering how big the field was. She picked a random star she could see ahead and started following it so she didn't get turned around, but hours later, she was still in the wheat field.

'This is ridiculous! I've walked far enough to get from home to Ponyville and back twice! This is just too big to be real...'

Having little choice but to keep going, she did so, her irritation growing all the way.

'This is just stupid! No farmer in the world could harvest this much before it rotted on the stalk! Why would somepony plant this much...'

...

For the first time in hours she thought she could hear something in the distance. It was a deep rumbling with a lot of clanging and rattling just barely discernible at this distance.

'Well whatever it is, it isn't wheat, and that's got to be better than this.'

As she walked towards the noise, she began to see a glimmer of light from that direction, but after a few minutes more she had a sense that something was wrong. Whatever was making the noise had been much further away, and therefor much bigger and louder then she had first thought, and it was moving.

It was getting closer.

She stopped to think, but the noise kept getting louder, and that dim glow was rapidly becoming a bright beam of light. She could see her surroundings clearly for the first time, and the light was no longer reflected, but shining down from what had to be two stories above her! The tremendous roar and clank of... whatever it was, had become painfully loud when she noticed it.

The wheat was falling.

As she watched the more distant rows of wheat were pulled down and sucked into... whatever it was.

'It's a harvester the size of a building!' "Hey! Down here!"

She jumped and shouted, but got no response. The machine was nearly upon her, and it wasn't stopping.

"AHHH!"

She turned and galloped for her life, losing her hat in the wheat. She looked back, but as she watched her hat was pulled down between a row of huge green metal teeth and disappeared.

"Constarn' it! Who the hay is driving that thing?!"

She knew there was nothing but wheat to her left, so she veered right, and suddenly her view of the world expanded from feet to miles as she broke free of the black wheat field.

She could see the harvester clearly now as it mowed down the grain, sucked it up and blew the finished grain out a shoot into a separate truck that followed to the right and behind. She had to jog to keep up, but she could see no sign of anyone in the machines, ether pony or human. They did have big glass boxes on the fronts though.

'I bet that's where the controls are.'

She followed alongside the harvester and soon found a ladder leading up to the glass box on top, and with a leap, she mounted the ladder and climbed up. Inside the cabin she found an empty chair, and a lot of glowing controls and screens. The biggest screen showed a big orange brick with a tiny dot at the point where it joined against a big green brick. As she watched, the dot moved forward a tiny amount, and a sliver of orange turned green.

'It must be a map of the field, but who's driving this thing? Magic? Oh, I wish Twilight was here...'

She looked over the controls some more, and soon found one she did understand; a big red button sticking up on the top of the console labeled 'STOP'. She was about to press it when a thought struck her.

'I press this and somepony... some human, is bound to come see what's wrong. Do I want someone to find me out here?'

She remembered some of the possible places the princess had warned them they might find themselves in... The possibility of finding Scootaloo alive, but locked up in a tiny cage, used for medical experiments... She stared at the map of the field, her hoof suspended over the button.

'Is this faithful, or stupid?'

**Author's Note: Please comment : )**

Hope you're enjoying it, just be warned, part of the next chapter may be... upsetting.

"There are hardly any excesses of the most crazed psychopath that cannot easily be duplicated by a normal kindly family man who just comes in to work every day and has a job to do."

― Terry Pratchett, Small Gods


	3. Ch 3-3 The Good the Bad and the Party

**Our Girl Scootaloo**

Part 3 of 3

by Cozy Mark IV & Jan. McNeville

**Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-made work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro. Please support the official release**

Chapter Three point Three: The Good, the Bad and the Party!

The meeting of the college Anarcho-Libertarian Party wasn't going well, but then, that was nothing unusual. Every week the group met to discuss the failings of various politicians, the unfairness of the current government -or government at all, argue over who loved Ayn Rand's work the most and how, given the chance, they would do things so much better. Of course, everyone seemed to have a different idea of what that meant. Most of those in attendance thought that most of the others were wrong, so the meetings were usually bad tempered affairs with lots of arguing and shouting, at least when they weren't complaining about the past week. It was fairly obvious that just about everyone there only tolerated their fellow anarcho-libertarians as _slightly_ better than the 'mindless sheeple' who helped the state rob them of taxes and the girlfriends they obviously deserved and would have had in a fairer system.

While they sometimes wondered why they had to meet in this run-down lecture hall two blocks from campus, that was the space the student government had given them, and with bigger worries on their minds, they didn't think about it too much.

This particular night had begun discussing the evils of socialism, how the government was out to get them, and how everyone would just be better off in an anarchy with no rules or taxes. One of the new attendees had pointed out that anarchy doesn't last long, and that it usually devolves into a collection of small kings or warlords, but the assembled group of pimply college guys had assured him that all of them would get to be warlords in that scenario, so it would still be okay.

After a discussion of how unfair their various retail jobs were, and how helping customers was an imposition on their right to do as they pleased, a fight had developed between those who wanted to be paid more for said work, and those who thought the minimum wage should be abolished because socialism, that's why.

It was in the middle of this argument that the room had flashed a blindingly white, and Celestia had appeared on the stairs near the first few rows of desks up from the lecture podium. A quick look around showed her that the others hadn't arrived with her, and that she was in some sort of classroom. Adapting quickly, she pushed her worries aside and prepared to address the many questions this group of humans would have, hoping the sound of her voice wouldn't send them all running in terror.

"Oh, its you." Spat a student from two rows up in flat, unfriendly voice.

It took a lot to startle Celestia, crown princess of Equestria but this did the job.

Into the continuing silence another student called out: "Yeah, a king is even worse than our government!"

"Princess, not king, you twit." Chimed another.

"Call it what you want, its just another way for The Man to tell you what to do."

"Woman."

"Horse!"

"Whatever! I've got enough problems with our government without the man... horse woman... taxing me and telling me what to do!"

"Yeah! At least we can vote out our people when they don't listen to us."

"If they don't brainwash the electorate."

"They can only do that with the money from the evil corporations."

"Maybe so, but she has corporate backers too. She runs the government and if you toe the line she probably gives out tax breaks just like all the other corrupt politicians."

"It all still boils down to the same thing, she tells her people what -"

"Ponies!"

"Herd!"

"Subjects!"

"Whatever! She tells you what to do, and its just another imposition on our individual freedoms."

By now, very confused, and rapidly becoming irritated, Celestia tried to get a word in edgewise hoping that a talking pony would get through to them.

"Good morning, I'm Princess Celestia, and I'm here to find someone."

"Typical monarch, doesn't even know its night time." Another responded gesturing to the daylight outside the window.

"Looking for someone?"

"Oh crap, is she after us too?"

"No stupid, she probably came to get Scootaloo."

"That's not our problem, at least she doesn't want us."

"Yeah, we have guns, so we have rights." There was a short pause. "What is her policy on guns anyway?"

"There aren't any guns in Equestria."

"You mean she took all the guns!?"

"You had no right to take everyone's guns!"

"Yeah, how are people supposed to kill looters when law and order fails? We need guns to defend our families!"

"And for when the black helicopters come from the UN! We have to have our guns to fight off the UN when they come to tax us!"

While Celestia didn't understand may of their terms, she had had enough dealings with the teenage children of the Canterlot Royals to know who she was dealing with. Her patience worn through, she used the Royal Canterlot Voice to cut through the noise.

"**ENOUGH!**"

Into the silence she asked "Where does Scootaloo live?"

"In the red brick house at the intersection of Smith and Baker street. Its like 5 blocks that way...ma'am." A student replied, pointing east.

"Thank you." And with that, she was out the door, and glad to be in the free air again after... whatever had just happened back there.

She hopped from roof to roof when she could, keeping out of sight and reading the street signs below. It didn't take long to find Baker street, and she soon followed it to Smith street and found the red brick house on the corner.

Careful to keep quiet, she glided down the ally between the buildings and looked in the windows one after another. She made out a kitchen, a living room, and...

"Ah, there you are, Scootaloo."

She found the nursery on the third window of the second story, and inside was Scootaloo, alive and well and about three years old by the look of it. The little foal was napping in her bed wrapped up in a blanket and snuggling a cute stuffed lion. Celestia felt her heart warm at the sight, but if she had seen anything in these two worlds, it was that they were no place for a pony. She opened the window and taking a pen and paper from a high shelf, wrote a quick letter thanking the human who had cared for Scootaloo all these months. She knew it would be hard on them, but regardless of how she left, Scootaloo had to leave this place and go home. She pinned the note to the side of the bed, gathered up the little foal, her blanket, and her stuffed lion, and quietly shut the window. Lifting off into the sky with her the tiny bundle tucked at her side, she set off in search of the others so they could return home and leave this wretched world behind.

...

The flash of yellow light faded and as her eyes adjusted, Fluttershy found herself in a black field of oats. She looked around to ask where they were, only to find herself alone.

In a black field at night.

"Hello?... Scootaloo?... Rarity?"

The field remained silent and dark. She could only see a few feet around her due to the height of the oats, and that afforded a good place to hide. Unfortunately it also meant that something else could be out here, stalking her, and she would never know, even if it was right behind her. She was afraid to go without her friends, but with who knew what waiting here in the field... There was a russle in the oats to her left and she let out a squeal and shot into the air, clearing the oats and getting her first good look around. Looking in the direction of the noise she made out the dim shape of some other four footed animal, several feet taller than her who stared back wide eyed.

"He... Hello?"

At the sound of her voice, the figure whirled around and bounded away, its puffy white tail seeming to bounce and float away on its own long after the gray body of the creature had been lost from sight.

Fluttershy hovered over the field, wondering what else might be hiding there. Shaking herself, she resolved to find her friends and began climbing for a better look at this world. Eventually she made it high enough to see beyond what turned out to be a very large field of oats. To her left she could make out another field, a forest of trees to her right, and more or less ahead in the distance, she could see lights glowing around a cluster of buildings. After what Celestia had told them about the humans of this world, she wasn't sure she wanted to meet them, especially all alone, but the only human she had met so far had been a good person...

She had to risk it; she flew off towards the buildings.

As she got closer, she made out fields and feed troughs on the ground below and landed to get a better look. The fields looked a bit like home, and as she looked into the trough, she found it full of a mix of grain and pellets, which after a few mouthfuls, she decided was surprisingly good.

"There must be somepony else around here... Maybe I can find whoever mixed this up..."

She took off again, continuing towards a large rectangular building with light glowing from inside. She circled once and found a door that had been left open a crack, so she landed quietly and peeked inside.

Despite the metal walls, the building was apparently a barn, and at least fifty cows were milling around inside, or standing at a number of... stalls of some kind. A walkway ran down the center of the building, flanked by the metal bared stalls on both sides with the rest of the cows lounging along the walls. Fluttershy walked half the length of the long room taking it all in and trying not to attract attention, but finally, she worked up the courage and approached one of the cows in a nearby stall.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but have you seen any other ponies around here tonight?"

The cow didn't seem to notice her, and slowly shifted her weight while still chewing. This caused the suction pump attached to her utter to rattle and clank against itself as the cow shifted again to get more comfortable.

"OH! Oh my! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

She backed up into a stall on the opposite side of the aisle and spun around in time to see another cow walking toward her.

"Oh, could you please help me? I'm looking for my friends."

The cow continued forward into the stall and stood still with out any sign of having heard her. While she watched, a metal arm with suction cups on it swung out and attached itself to the cows udder and began pumping.

"Oh my!" She stepped back, but again no one seemed to take any notice of her. After a few more attempts at communication it started to sink in.

'They may look like the cows I know, but these poor creatures can't really think, let alone speak...'

Being alone in this strange place surrounded by... animals... that looked like this was unsettling to say the least. It took a few minutes for her to start thinking of them like her forest friends instead of the talking cows they appeared to be.

As she watched the herd, she realized that they were not all cows; scattered here and there she saw very young calves prancing and running about or sleeping next to their mothers; None could be more than a week or two old. She called out to one of the larger calves with a big white spot on his side who was prancing by, and he came over to look at her. Up close she could see that these cows bore only a superficial resemblance to her friends back at Sweet Apple Acres. The little one in front of her was obviously playful, but his face was subtly different from what she was used to, and there was no light of intelligence behind his eyes.

"Hello little one. Do you have a name?"

The calf tilted his head and looked at her.

"Not yet? Well I think I will call you Tom. How does that sound?"

'Tom' continued to stare at her, then abruptly turned and went bounding off to the other side of the building. He found another calf and the two chased each other in circles for a few moments before running back to their mothers.

The bang of a metal door made her jump most of the way to the ceiling, and looking back the way she had come she heard voices around the corner coming towards her. With a quick glance around she saw the metal trusses holding up the triangular roof above and ducked behind one of them, hiding as best she could. It wasn't much for cover, but as the two humans came into view neither one looked up.

They looked like the same kind of... person... who had taken care of Rainbow Dash, though these two wore farm clothes and sounded a bit more like Applejack. As she watched, and tried to work up the courage to say hello, the two started gesturing at the calves.

"We got any old enough tonight?"

"Yeah, I think the one with the big spot over there is ready. He was eatin' from the trough like the adults yesterday."

"All right, lemme get the rope."

As she watched, the two worked together and got the laso around Tom's neck and pulled him out of the pen. He bucked and bayed, but the two soon pulled him down the main aisle and through a door into the next section of the building marked with a bland sign that read simply;

**'Veal Processing'**

"Poor tom! They didn't have to be so rough with him." She wondered now if she should introduce herself to these ruffians, but after a moment she hopped from beam to beam and over the dividing wall into the next section of the building.

The smell nearly overcame her as landed on the next beam over the wall. It was like the stench of the worlds largest un-flushed toilet, and as hung onto an upright to steady herself, she looked down and gasped.

Cages.

Row upon row of cages.

Cages stacked on top of each other. With mounting horror she realized that each tiny cage held a calf, and not one could be even six months old. The cages were so small that the calves couldn't even stand up, let a lone turn around, and she realized with a shock where the smell was coming from. These poor calves must have been locked up for days, weeks without even a bathroom break, and as she looked at the cages stacked on top of each other, she saw that there was a calf in each one, and that they had fared no better. Her mind reeled and she tried to hang on to the roof truss in front of her and not throw up from the smell.

Looking down she saw Tom crammed into a tiny cage just like the rest, but unlike the others who seemed silent and broken, Tom was thrashing against the metal bars and bawling for his mother.

Fluttershy was horrified, but seeing Tom like this she felt the fires of rage begin to grow. 'How could anypony be so cruel, so heartless to these defenseless children!'

She was dimly aware of the two men opening a cage at the side of the room and dragging the calf out and over to a white corner of the room equipped with a shower. Seeing them treat the poor thing like this, she was actually shaking with rage. 'The poor thing has been caged so long he can't even stand up! I'm going to -'

The gunshot echoed through building and the white walls were suddenly stained red. Fluttershy just stared, frozen in horror at what had just happened. She winced as the two humans speared the calve's body with a huge metal hook and lifted it off the ground.

They continued to talk as though nothing was at all out of the ordinary. Moments later, the knives came out, and Fluttershy curled up on the beam, squinting her eyes shut as any trace of rage drained out of her, replaced by stark terror. The cutting noises continued as the two discussed something called a TV show, and she tried not to fall off the beam.

When the bone saws came out with their electric scream, she wet herself in terror and clung shaking to the beam just willing it all to stop. No one noticed anything in the overpowering stench of the room, and in the opposite corner, Tom bayed plaintively for his mother.

...

Back in the bar on the main street of town, the two ponies were having very different reactions to the same situation. The club was poorly lit with booming music thumping though the very floor boards and brightly colored lights flashing and strobing everywhere. Twilight had tried to cover her ears, and Rachel had led her to a table in the back where it was quiet enough to speak without shouting. Pinkie had taken one look, squealed with delight and disappeared into the crowd. Every so often she would pop up or run by, but it had been a few minutes now and Twilight had lost track of her.

It had taken Twilight a surprisingly short time to recover from her run-in with human filmmaking, especially after the girls of the Sorority had introduced her to something called a 'long island iced tea'.

"And you say the reason I'm feeling like this is because of alcohol?" Twilight asked Joyce and Rachel who had taken seats on either side of her.

"Yup. This is a strong drink, so you should take it slow. They must have alcohol in Equestria, right? I mean, it's one of the reasons we have a civilization today!"

"We use a different name, but from what you've told me I believe it is the same thing." She frowned. "It's not very popular though, most ponies prefer a type of plant that… makes you feel good when you add it baked goods. Sugar cube corner has a selection of delicacies that feature it."

Joyce and Rachel both shared a significant look, then Rachel shrugged as Joyce muttered: "Pinkie. I should have known."

"But why does this taste like burning?" Twilight asked as she levitated the glass and stared into its depths.

Joyce shook her head to clear it. "Alcohol is sometimes used as a disinfectant to kill germs. I know Rachel said this is a strong drink, but this is only, what, twenty percent?" Joyce turned and walked to the bar returning with two tiny glasses, too small even for a foal.

"Um… What is that for?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I asked for shots of one hundred and ninety proof, that's ninety five percent pure alcohol." She pushed a shot glass over to Twilight with a knowing grin. "Drink it if you dare."

"Joyce, that's not nice!" Rachel admonished as Twilight examined the tiny glass.

"Why isn't it nice? What will this do to me?" Twilight asked in concern.

"Probably? It will be too strong for you to handle and you won't be able to drink nearly that much." Rachel added as she fixed Joyce with a disapproving look.

At this point their conversation was interrupted by a commotion across the room. Rachel could make out a pair of pink hooves sticking up in the air as the crowd chanted.

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!... WOOOOOO!"

"Holy shit, did she just do a keg stand?!"

Joyce was grinning openly. "Yes. Yes, she did."

"Crap. You two wait here, I'm going to go make sure she doesn't hurt herself. Or anyone else." Rachel said as she hurriedly got to her feet.

"Now why would she hurt - "

"You ever seen a three hundred fifty pound pony in a bar fight?"

Joyce stared at her.

"Nether have I, and I don't want to either." She added as she scurried off.

Joyce shook herself and looked back to Twilight. "She'll be fine. Now how about that drink?"

"I guess I can… It certainly couldn't be hard to drink such a tiny amount…"

"Good girl, just knock it back all at once like this." Joyce downed her own glass with her right hand as she fished in her pocket with her left.

Twilight regarded the doll sized glass, shrugged, and downed the contents as Joyce had showed her.

A second later her eyes shot open and she sprayed the contents of the glass across the table upon which Joyce had placed the lighter she took from her pocket.

The fireball was a good 4 feet across and Twilight choked and gasped as the entire bar applauded loud enough to drown out the music.

"_It's flammable!?_"

She meant to shout the words, but they came out as a kind of raspy gasp.

"Oh yeah! But only the really good stuff. That long island iced tea you're nursing? Weak socks. It's more water than booze."

"Wow! Twilight, you never told me you could breathe fire!"

Pinkie Pie had appeared at her side and was talking even faster than usual.

"That is so neat! Did spike teach you how to do that? Does this mean you can send letters to the princess on your own now? That would be great because now you could send her letters at night!"

They both stared at her.

"Uhh… Pinkie, are you feeling okay?" Joyice asked, and Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "Uh… how much have you had to drink tonight?"

"Oh, lots and lots! All these ponies, I mean humans, just keep giving me these cool party drinks! I started with something called a pint, then two more, then a 'three wise men', then -"

The list went on for some time as Joyce's eyes grew wider.

"- and then they helped me stand on something called a keg and drink a few pints upside down! It was -" Her face twitched and she let out an incredible rumbling belch that lasted a good 5 seconds. "Oh! Excuse me."

Joyce regarded Pinkie with a worried look. "How are you still_ standing up_ after all that?"

"Oh, I'm fine." She smiled innocently. "About half of what they gave me was part of a 'drinking contest', but that was silly. The other guy actually fell asleep he was so bored. Slid out of his chair and everything, they had to take him home for a nap."

Joyce and Twilight both stared at her as she bounced up and down in place as thought his was perfectly normal.

At this point Rachel finally caught up with her-self appointed charge. "Pinky, I need you to blow into this." She said producing a breathalyzer she had borrowed from the bar tender.

"Okay!" Pinkie grabbed the device and blew into it until it beeped and displayed a number which Rachel read out loud.

"Point zero two? How is that even possible?!"

Pinkie seemed unconcerned, and fixed a party noise maker over the end of the breathalyzer before blowing into it again producing a loud toot.

"She's not even a little drunk! How is that possible?" Rachel asked Joyce.

"How should I know? I thought Scootaloo handled alcohol about the same way we do. Maybe Pinkie is just special?"

"Awww, I think you guys are special too." She said as she scooped Joyce and Rachel up in a group hug that strained their ribs. "Thank you both for showing me this cool party!"

Joyce and Rachel both sat down hard with startled expressions as Pinkie let go of them.

"Hey, I'm going to go learn more about this party! I think I'll start with the DJ!" With that she turned and disappeared into the crowd once more.

Now it was Twilight's turn to look a bit smug as the two shocked Sorority sisters tried to make sense of Pinkie.

"She can be quite a hooffull at times."

"Well, she doesn't seem to be in any danger from the booze." Joyce managed.

Rachel looked around at the increasingly dense crowd. "Maybe not, but have you checked your phone? This club is lighting up and people are coming here from all over town to party with Pinkie Pie. I don't know how many more people are going to fit in here..."

...

About five minutes later the police arrived to shut down the club. As they ushered everyone out, Pinkie could be seen talking with the captain.

"But why do you have to shut down the party!? That's not very nice of you." She added giving him a stern look.

The bewildered police captain had not expected anything like this, and decided to act as though the bright pink pony honestly didn't know any better.

"Well, Ms...?"

"Pinkamena Dian Pie."

"Well Ms Pie, we aren't here to stop the party, but we are here to get everyone out of the building. By the fire code, that building can only hold one hundred and fifty people."

"Uh... What happens if there are more than that?"

"Have you ever seen a stampede? Because that's what can happen if a fire were to break out in there. We enforce there rules to keep everyone safe."

Pinkie looked thoughtful and put a hoof under her chin. "So, if we find a bigger building, we can have a bigger party?"

The captain nodded as Pinkie surveyed the surrounding landscape, her eyes soon settling on a large frat house several blocks away and up the hill where a party was already in progress. "What about that building?"

The captain shook his head. "That's between you and them. Just try not to get too out of control okay? We don't like stopping the party any more than you do."

Rachel, Joyce and Twilight had kept together, though they had lost track of Pinkie again, that is until they heard her shout over the crowd. "Hey everypony! Who wants to party?"

There was an enthusiastic yell, and not just from the original party guests as passers by on the street joined in.

"Then follow me!"

Rachel, Joyce and Twilight all stood and watched in disbelief as the crowd of more than two hundred people followed the pink pony off towards the frat's house party.

"How long do you think this will last?" Rachel asked.

"Before she fills up that four story frat house?" Joyce answered. "I'd give it an hour or two tops."

Rachel looked back to Twilight who had taken on that knowing grin she sometimes got. "Twilight? How long does a Pinkie party normally last?"

"Oh, I wouldn't expect it to end before sunrise. It's been a while since I've seen here that excited." She added with a grin.

They continued to stand on sidewalk as the crowd moved off and more people followed. After a minute Rachel asked. "So are we planning to join them? I can party hard, but I don't know if I could go till dawn..."

Even Joyce looked a bit out of her depth. "Yeah. I'm big enough to admit when I've been bested."

The sound of squealing tires made them all look up in time to see a 1957 Chevy convertible go roaring past with the top down. The car was packed with three women, and Rarity occupied the passenger seat, her main streaming out behind her in the wind as she talked animatedly with the others. Twilight caught part of a sentence as they flashed by: "whole store of makeup?! That sounds-"

"Well, it looks like you shouldn't have any trouble fitting in." Joyce commented as the car dwindled into the distance. Twilight nodded, a dazed look on her face.

"This has got to be a lot to take in all at once." Rachel spoke up "Tell you what; the university library is open twenty four hours; what do you say we stop in there for a few hours and show you around?"

"A human library? That sounds wonderful!"

Rachel smiled. "Our university is a bit old fashioned, so we still have a substantial selection of paper books. You will have to make a hard choice though."

Twilight's expression registered concern. "Oh? What choice?"

Rachel was grinning widely. "Well, you see our university library is made up of more than 4 different main buildings, each of them several stories high. The best place to start could be the main library building, ten floors high, which features biology, chemistry, literature, history, anthropology and art."

Twilight was beaming, but before she could even nod, Rachel continued. "Or we could go to the engineering library on the other end of campus. Its eight stories high and contains physics and math texts as well as civil, mechanical, electrical, industrial and aerospace engineering. Those are what we use instead of magic in our world."

Twilight bit her lower lip and pranced from hoof to hoof, torn between two great choices as she tried to make up her mind.

**Author's Note:**

Yes, griffon's are somehow carnivores in a world where just about every animal is sentient.

Yes, the ponies are okay with that, however the details work.

And yes, I think they would have a problem with some of our farming practices.

Things and beasts have threatened her friends before, but the underlying premises has always been 'The animal or dragon I am dealing with is fundamentally a good, sane, individual.'

That premise has just been violently shattered, and a world where sociopaths calmly torture and murder for no apparent (to her) reason is a lot scarier than the world she's used to, especially when the two men make absolutely no effort to hide what they are doing.

This will get better, and there is a reason that Fluttershy asks this be included exactly as it happened, and for the locket she carries with her (See chapter 1), but it will be several chapters yet before that all becomes clear.


End file.
